The Difference Between the Outside and the Inside

On the outside . . . She’s a hard working mom She always has time for her kids She has a loving husband She’s always volunteering She has a big heart She’s what every mom hopes to be But on the inside . . . Her marriage is falling apart She’s going to lose her job She has no time for God He wouldn’t want her anyway Her kids drive her crazy She volunteers to fill her empty heart But now she has run out of time . . . On the outside . . . She’s the prettiest girl in school She’s a sports jock She’s got straight A’s in every class She’s got the handsomest boyfriend She’s got a snappy comeback for everything Every girl envies her Nothing can stop her But on the inside . . . She’s hurt and lonely She’s abused at home and expected to be perfect at school She wishes she was someone else She’s gone too far with her boyfriend And now there’s a third person in the mix He roots for her and cheers her on Asking her to just hang on But she can’t hear him And soon they’ll both be gone . . . On the inside . . . She’s the quiet girl who sits in the corner Always shy and always with a smile She doesn’t get picked for groups but she doesn’t care She doesn’t have a lot of friends but she’s grateful for the ones she has No boys really like her but that’s ok with her because she’s waiting anyway She always goes to church And she always says her prayers People secretly admire her courage when she stands up for what she believes She encourages everyone And judges no one But on the inside . . . She’s fed up with life She just wants it all to end Her faith is wavering Her family’s falling apart “Nobody cares,” she says. “No one will notice . . . “ And like that she’s gone . . . On the outside . . . She’s a cute eight year-old girl She’s always obedient Always speaks with kindness She’s first in the class She has a lot of friends She’s always quick to help around the house She’s every mother’s dream But on the inside . . . She’s sad and confused She’s not sure what exactly just happened Her sister just took her own life But why? She looked up to her sister so much “If Sissy wanted to die, then so do I,” she declares And then another precious life is lost

And just that fast there are five less people in the world. Did you notice? Do you care? Did you ever ask them, “How are you on the inside?” What would you have done? Did you know that 30,000 people die every day from suicide? And 750,000 in a year? Did you know that suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 24? And that there are more suicides in a year than there are murders? Now what are you going to do?

(All suicide facts were retrieved by Kevin Caruso)

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